Driven
by I am Driven
Summary: FemNaru. AU. There is no limit to the amount of passion and ambition. There is only a matter of expression. Meet Uzumaki Naruko, genius Aeronautics Engineer and Uchiha Sasuke, record-breaking racer as they redefine what it means to be truly... driven.


**DISCLAIMER:**

**I do not own or possess the fandom I have willingly written for: Naruto. **

**I also do not own or posses any of the brand / trademark / licensed product names mentioned in this story. Brand names were cited only for the benefit of the plot of the story. There is no commercial value whatsoever with my mentioning the brand or any that is strictly related to it.**

**All disclaimers have been accounted for and recorded. Any and all charges pressed against me concerning the aforementioned topic are therefore null and void.**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_**Driven**_

'_The whole secret of a successful life is to find out what it is one's destiny to do, and then do it.' _

_~Henry Ford, Automobile Pioneer_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_Konoha Academy, 5:14 pm_

The door opened soundlessly, and a woman with plain features peeked through the door, "Excuse me… I'm looking for an Iruka-sensei?"

A man with tanned skin, brown hair and dark eyes looked up from the papers he was grading and said, "That's me."

The woman entered the classroom, stood in front of the teacher's desk, and crossed her arms, "I'm the caretaker from the orphanage. What is it about Naruko this time, Iruka-sensei?"

Umino Iruka looked contemplative as he told her to sit down.

"I'm glad you came here today," he started, "Actually, It's about Uzumaki Naruko's grades."

The caretaker's eyebrows rose, "Her grades? How bad are they?"

Iruka frowned at the lack of concern the caretaker was showing, but nonetheless answered her question, "They're really bad, enough to hold her back a full year."

"Well, that's understandable, Naruko is only 5 years old, a full 3 years younger than most, if not all, of her classmates. She's even skipped Nursery, Kindergarten and the 1st Grade," the caretaker said as she leaned back in her chair.

"Yes," Iruka nodded in understanding, "I am aware of the fact that, due to the orphanage's lack of funds and our current economic situation, it would be really hard to send any of the kids from there to school."

He picked up a pencil and started twirling it with his fingers, "And I understand that Naruko is incredibly young compared to all of her classmates."

The caretaker nodded once before quickly glancing at her watch, "I think Naruko just needs time to grow up a little. You know, so that she could cope with her older classmates."

Iruka shook his head, "That's not it. I have complete faith in Naruko's ability to comprehend and analyze. She's a very smart kid, and her penmanship is better than most of her peers. And that's saying something."

The caretaker's eyebrows rose once more, "If that's the case, Iruka-sensei, then why is she failing..?"

Iruka tapped his desk, silent for a moment. He hesitated, not sure of what to say, "Well… the problem here is… It's her confidence, I think."

"Her… confidence."

"Yes! She's incredibly insecure of herself. I don't know what the cause is, but she… well. It's all in here, you know," he tapped the side of his head, "If a person thinks, or _wills_ something to happen, then it will."

"I'm not following you, sensei. You're saying she needs a psychiatrist?"

Iruka looked stricken with the idea. "No! Of course not! She just needs someone to tell her she can do it…" he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked for the right words to say. "She needs someone who can be her role model, someone who'll inspire her to do her best."

"She's an orphan, Iruka-sensei. Something like a role model will be impossible for her to find. She doesn't have that much friends, either."

'_That's probably because they're afraid of her ambitious personality,' _he thought, _'Naruko is a little too advanced for her classmates, after all.'_

"That's why I asked you to come here today. I'm asking you to be that person," Iruka said seriously.

The caretaker found the whole thought to be so ridiculous that she laughed out loud, "Me? A role model? To that brat?"

Iruka almost glared at her.

"I'm sorry sensei, but that's not happening," she said as she glanced once more at her watch as she stood to leave, "If that's all, sensei, I'll be going now."

"Wait," he called after her, "Please… Naruko may have a very bright future ahead of her."

The caretaker waved a hand in dismissal, "Naruko still has plenty of time before the future, sensei." She paused for a moment, glanced back and Iruka, and said, "I'll be leaving now."

There was an audible 'click' as the caretaker closed the door. Iruka sighed, disappointed at how the confrontation had turned out. He stood up and walked towards the window, where the view of the playground could be seen.

There, in a rather isolated looking corner of the children's playground, under a massive tree, sat Uzumaki Naruko. Iruka watched her intently as she absentmindedly rocked the swing she was sitting on. Her eyes were downcast, and her small hands were gripping the rope tightly. She looked really pale, he noted, and even her exotic blonde hair seemed a lot paler than they used to. She looked thin, frail almost, and the dull look in her eyes worried the teacher.

A few months ago she wasn't like how she acted now. On the contrary, she was hyper, and a bit loud. She was one of the brightest in the class... then, everything just went downhill. Iruka couldn't figure out what was wrong.

He blinked when the caretaker suddenly appeared next to his student. Naruko looked up at her before getting off the swing and following her out of the school.

Iruka watched their retreating backs with worry. He didn't want Naruko to fail a full year. The experience would crush the little self respect she had in her. Shaking his head, he went back to his desk and continued grading the papers. He would think of something later on.

Before fully engrossing himself in his work, a thought about his apprehensive student flashed in his head:

'_What that girl needs is passion. Some… __**drive**__.'_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_Sharingan Center, 5:14 pm_

"That's amazing!" the T.V. reporter commended, "And how old are you again, Sasuke-kun?"

Uchiha Sasuke stared at her with indifferent eyes, "I'm 6."

"Wow!" she said as she faced the camera, "Only _six_ years old and he can already _**drive**_ a car! How's that for amazing, folks?"

The camera man adjusted the large device on his shoulder to focus on the cars behind Sasuke and the reporter: there were cars of every model lined up in an impressive display. Every model looked different from each other, but was all of the same color, and there was a symbol on the front hood that was shaped like three comas in a circular pattern.

The reporter was gushing, "Sasuke here is the 2nd, and currently youngest son of Fugaku Uchiha and Mikoto Uchiha. The formerly mentioned is the CEO of a line of luxury cars named Sharingan. Sharingan cars are said to be on _par_ with internationally acclaimed luxury cars like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz, and the like."

She faced Sasuke once more, "Well, it's no wonder you've learned to drive at such a young age, Sasuke-kun, since you grew up in an environment practically full of cars and vehicles! But how did you learn it? Did someone teach you?"

Sasuke shook his head, "No."

"Then, did you teach yourself how to do it?"

He nodded.

"Amazing!" the reporter turned to the man standing beside the young boy, "And you're Sasuke-kun's driver?"

"Yes," Hatake Kakashi said as he rubbed at his nape. He smiled at the camera, but it didn't give enough impact considering the only part of his face that could be clearly seen was his right eye. "Master Sasuke always wanted to sit in the front seat of the car when he was younger, and always tried to watch me drive."

"That's interesting! But when did you notice Sasuke had already learned to drive?"

"It was actually quite a shock to the Masters when the brand new car Master Fugaku had parked in the driveway suddenly started up and drove," he chuckled at this, "When the police found the car, it was parked next to an ice cream shop, and Master Sasuke was eating a banana split behind the wheel."

Both adults laughed, while Sasuke remained as impassive as ever.

"But how could Sasuke-kun reach the pedal? Wasn't he too small to reach them at his age?"

Kakashi smiled again, "Yes, he was indeed too small for the car, but it seems that he had piled shoeboxes on top of the pedals."

"You're a genius Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke didn't believe her, but he didn't say anything about it.

Driving a car is really easy, he thought, there's nothing special about it.

"What's amazing here folks, is that Sasuke-kun didn't even bump into any other cars in the highway! Spectators say that the Sharingan Sasuke had driven even followed proper traffic regulations! Now that's really something quite impossible!"

She looked at the young boy who stood just a few inches lower than her hips and said, "Well, Sasuke-kun! We hope you'll hone this talent into the future!"

Facing the camera, she said, "That's it for my Ah-mazing! News, back to you at the studio…"

"And cut!" the camera man said as he quickly placed the device inside a container. Facing his colleague, he said, "We're finished here; let's go back to the studio."

"Okay," she said as she turned to look at her interviewees, "That wasn't live, so you should be able to see the interview at around 7. It was nice meeting you Sasuke-kun, Hatake-san."

She bowed deeply before hurrying off after the camera man.

"Are you ready to go home, Sasuke-sama?" Kakashi asked as he turned to leave. Sasuke didn't answer, but he followed him nonetheless.

"Are you going to watch our interview tonight?" Kakashi pried.

"No."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_The Orphanage, 7:26 pm_

"You're a selfish little brat, you know that?"

Naruko only nodded.

Moving behind the desk, the caretaker stalked towards the blonde and stood in front of her.

"You're already being enrolled in a very expensive school, and you still have the guts to _fail_ at it and ask _me_ to go to that stupid teacher-parent meeting!" the caretaker said as she slapped the young girl's face, hard.

Naruko didn't dare move, and the caretaker scoffed, "Not so tough now, are you? Well, I always knew you were nothing but a good-for-nothing brat! Heaven knows why those damned council members sent _you_ to school."

The blonde remained motionless.

Sneering, the caretaker said, "Get out! You're a disgrace!"

As Naruko turned and headed for the door, she heard the caretaker turn the television on.

The reporter was saying:

"_And now, for our Ah-mazing! News, we have a six-year-old who is already able to drive!"_

"_How could a six year old be able to drive, Kishimoto-san? Wouldn't that be __impossible__?"_

The blonde stilled. The word brought horrible memories:

"_**It's impossible for you; you should just stop blabbing about your stupid ambitions."**_

"_**You? An airplane maker? Dream on, loser! Why should you get special treatment, anyway?"**_

"_**You're a freaking orphan, you damned brat. You'll never amount to anything."**_

"_**I'm afraid that's quite impossible for you, Naruko. The orphanage cannot…"**_

That single word made the girl stop in her tracks. Curious, she slowly faced the T.V.

"_Well, let's just take a look-see! How are you there at the Sharingan Center?"_

Another reporter flashed at the screen, and behind her were black, impressive-looking cars, _"Hi! We have here Uchiha Sasuke-kun and his driver, Hatake Kakashi-san for our Ah-mazing! News!"_

"_Sasuke-kun, do you really know how to drive?"_

Then Uchiha Sasuke's face came into view, _"Yes."_

Naruko was transfixed at the screen, never had she heard of something like that happen.

"_That's amazing! And how old are you again, Sasuke-kun?"_

"_I'm 6."_

"_Wow! Only six years old and he can already drive a car! How's that for ah-mazing, folks?"_

Naruko wasn't able to move from her spot, she just kept watching the footage, amazed, impressed and astounded at this Uchiha Sasuke.

"_What's amazing here folks, is that Sasuke-kun didn't even bump into any other cars in the highway! Spectators say that the Sharingan Sasuke had driven even followed proper traffic regulations! Now that's really something quite __impossible__!"_

Then the caretaker had noticed that she had still not moved from her spot, she yelled at her and shooed her out the door.

Naruko was too dazed to be affected by the sneers and jeers that greeted her in the hallway when she got out of the office.

With an awed expression on her face, she walked towards her room, for once not bothered by the other kids in the orphanage who were throwing hurtful words at her.

The door opened, and she leaned against it when it was closed, in deep thought.

Uchiha Sasuke was six years old and could drive; it was a feat that was supposedly impossible. It was his first time to sit behind the wheel, and already drove like a licensed grown-up.

Impossible?

She smirked, and for the first time in months, her blue eyes sparkled beneath her fringe.

According to the dictionary, only _2_ letters stopped her from becoming what she dreamed to become.

_Possible._

She'd make her dream come true. Nothing would stop her.

Believe it.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_Uchiha Industries Corporate Building, Tokyo, Japan; Thirteen Years Later, 3:12 pm_

"Uzumaki Naruko?"

The 18-year-old looked up and glanced at the secretary who had called her. She stood up instantly as she straightened her wrinkled long-sleeved shirt and adjusted her thickly framed glasses.

The other people in the waiting room stared at her:

Her blonde hair was messy and tousled and hastily kept in a catastrophic bun, her glasses had obviously been broken more than once –and scotch tape, of all things, was used to keep them together. She wore an orange –_orange_-long-sleeved shirt that was probably three sizes too large for her, and her slacks had been ripped at the bottom. Her shoes were the only things that didn't look straight out from the garbage bin, and even those looked like it didn't fit her –or belong to her, for that matter. They appeared to be men's shoes, and they made a loud '_clack_' as the girl shuffled after the secretary.

When the door closed after the poorly-dressed blonde, several people in the waiting room snickered.

Their thoughts were unison:

'_No way is that girl getting this job.'_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Please, take a seat," a gruff voice said, "You are Uzumaki Naruko?"

The blue-eyed blonde nodded once as she stared at her interviewer:

He was an expensively-dressed man somewhere in his late 40's or early 50's with black hair that was combed backwards and deep nose ridges that seemed to contrast with his tanned, brown skin. Even without him saying, Naruko knew that the man in front of her was Uchiha Fugaku, the CEO of Uchiha Industries.

"Your résumé?"

He hadn't even glanced at her. Nonetheless, Naruko silently handed him the resume as she noted how his left wrist had a pricy-looking Rolex watch.

"You graduated at the top of your batch in Tokyo University."

"Yes."

"Impressive."

There was silence as the man continued to scan her resume. After a few seconds, Fugaku spoke with barely concealed astonishment, "You're only _eighteen_ years old?"

"Yes, sir."

The Uchiha CEO looked up from the paper to stare at the girl. The first thing he noticed was her glasses that were held by scotch tape, and then he noticed her badly kept hair… and then her… _clothes_. He frowned.

"Are you aware that not only are you _incredibly young_, your appearance now isn't appropriate?"

Naruko nodded, "I believe that you are also aware that working age ranges from 15 to 80? And… well, I'm afraid these clothes are the best I have at the moment."

Fugaku looked back down at the document in his hand, "Hn. I see," he mumbled as he flipped a page. He scanned the document before his eyes widened.

This time, when he spoke, the amazement could no longer be concealed from his voice, "You… you won _first place_ for _five consecutive years_ in the International Aircraft Engineering Competition (IAEC)?"

"Yes."

"That's… that's very impressive."

Naruko's voice was filled with pride as she spoke, "I was only thirteen when I first entered."

Fugaku stared at her for a few seconds before he said, "You're hired."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_TV Tokyo Studios: Studio No. 24, 5:01 pm_

"SAAAAAAAAAAASSSSUKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-KUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN! KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"Good afternoon, viewers!" the TV personality said as he smiled at the camera, "Welcome to another episode of SNN! Showbiz News, Now! Today, we have, as _you_ all know, Uchiha Sasuke-san!"

The fans seated inside the large auditorium screamed as the camera focused on a handsome brunette. The stage consisted of a colorful background with the words 'SNN' mounted on the wall and was made of thick and multi-colored neon.

On the center of the stage were two modern-looking white chairs, and just about everything on the set was bright and colorful, even the stage's floor. The floor was made of white glass that had hundreds of tiny lighting underneath that glowed softly.

Sasuke was sitting on one of the chairs and the other interviewer was sitting opposite him. The host smiled widely at the crowd before turning to the young brunet.

"Good afternoon, Uchiha-san. Welcome to Bridge Rock, and thanks for joining us today. I understand that you are Japan's _first and only_ Formula One (F1) racecar driver."

Sasuke nodded.

"I must say, all of Japan is watching your every move! All of us were very impressed when you won first place on last year's Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500 _and _the NASCAR Championships!"

The crowd screamed in excitement.

"You are the very youngest and first Asian to achieve _all three_ titles on the same year, Uchiha-san! And so young, too! You were also recorded on Guinness' Book of World Records for this. Impressive! Very impressive! " the TV personality whistled, "You were 18 at that time, correct?"

The now 19-year-old Sasuke nodded as he leaned against the chair and crossed his arms. The crowd was getting annoying, and Sasuke supposed he should thank the interviewer for _not _mentioning the fact that he had won first place 265 more times in other races even before he entered the NASCAR Championships, the Indy 500 and the Grand Prix.

"So, Uchiha-san, tell us about the car that you drive."

Sasuke almost twitched in annoyance. This guy knew nothing about racecars! If a mere _car_ was used to race, he'd end up last… and a laughingstock.

But since he had been threatened bodily harm by his manager if he didn't talk and was being watched by the whole of Japan, he decided to humor him, "I drive three _cars_. Which one do you want me to talk about?"

"Wow! Please tell us all about them."

Sasuke's inner turmoil couldn't be seen on his impassive mask as he spoke, "For everyone's information, in the world of racing, not only one type of racecar can be used. There are stock cars, F1 cars, sports cars, drag racers, land speed racers, championship cars and many more."

The crowd screamed at him, and Sasuke was starting to doubt if they had been listening to him. For the umpteenth time, he resisted the urge to sigh heavily.

The interviewer prompted him to continue, "Please, do go on, Uchiha-san."

"Among the numerous racecars, I drive F1 cars, championship cars and stock cars. There was one point in my career where I drove drag racers, but I stopped and changed to championship cars."

"Wow! What else can you tell us, Uchiha-san?"

He _really_ wanted to go home.

"F1 cars and championship cars, or Indy cars, aren't that different from each other. The only difference I can tell you is that F1 cars are used in European F1 races and Indy cars are used in the Indianapolis races in America. But everything else –even the engine, breaks and gear- can be the same."

"That's interesting, Uchiha-san! But what about these stock cars?"

"Stock cars look like your everyday, commercial cars on the outside. They are one of my choice racecars because I am familiar with them and they're easy to drive, only, they can go to speeds of 320 km/hr."

"I see. That's quite interesting information, Uchiha-san! Thank you for sharing them with us! But now, it's time for the audience to ask you some questions!"

As if on cue, the spectators yelled their agreement.

"Okay," the interviewer said energetically, "Who wants to ask a question for Uchiha-san?"

Almost all females in the audience raised their hands.

"Er… Right. You, over there…"

Sasuke closed his eyes as he sighed silently. Why me?

"Uchiha-san," a girl gushed as the microphone was handed to her, "Before I ask my question let me say this: I LOVE YOU!"

"We all do, Sasuke-kun!"

"Mary me!"

"We love you, Sasuke-kun! Kyaaaa!"

Sasuke could sense the host's growing amusement at his situation.

Sasuke brought the mic to his lips as he spoke with barely concealed ire, "Continue."

"There are rumors going around, Sasuke-kun, that you won't be racing this year! Is that true?"

The audience silenced as they awaited his answer with baited breath. Sasuke blinked before he answered her question, "Yes."

The crowd grew restless, "But why, Sasuke-kun?" the girl questioned. Sasuke could see the beginnings of tears on the corner of her eyes.

"Father wishes for me to start training this year in order for me to be ready to take over the Uchiha Corpora-"

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! NO WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!"

"Alright," the host laughingly said as he tried to calm down the love struck fans, "Uchiha-san hadn't even finished his statement."

When it had finally quieted down, Sasuke once again spoke, "Otou-sama had requested me to start training... so that I would be fit to take over the company…"

"But, Sasuke-san!" another girl commented, "Won't your driving experience go to waste?"

Sasuke regarded her coldly, "I had never intended to be a racecar driver. My driving was just another way to promote Sharingan cars."

"Ah… I see," the host said, "Now, another question…"

"Sasuke-kun! Over here! I have a question!"

"Me too! Pick me! Pick me!"

The microphone was finally handed over to a pink-haired girl with green eyes and a stylish red dress. She squealed happily when she was handed the microphone, "Hi Sasuke-kun! My name is Haruno Sakura, I have a question for you."

Sakura winked at him and said, "Do you have a girlfriend?"

The twitch that escaped him was caught by the cameras and the hundreds of thousands of viewers as he said, "No."

"BE MIIIIIIIIIIIIINE, SASUKE-KUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_Uchiha Mansion, later that evening_

The table was, as usual, silent. The only sounds were the clang of the silverware as the Uchiha family ate.

Seated on the head of the table was Uchiha Fugaku, on his right was his wife, Uchiha Mikoto. Mikoto looked beautiful even in her black robes. She was pale as moonlight, and her dark eyes were striking against her alabaster skin.

In front of the Uchiha matron and on the left of the family's patriarch sat the 24-year-old Uchiha Itachi. The bachelor had his own penthouse, but occasionally he would share dinners with his family. Itachi would be inheriting the company in a few months, so he was always kept busy. It was a rare moment for the family to have him on dinners. The eldest son of the Uchiha family had deep nose ridges just like his father. His skin, however, was as pale as his mother's. Itachi's hair – something that the family constantly fought over- was long and tied in a low ponytail, and his sharp eyes were a combination of his parents'.

Beside Itachi sat Uchiha Sasuke who looked a bit tired and worn out. Sasuke looked like a male version of his mother with hair cut short -save for the hair on either side of his face, and the back portion of his hair spiked up naturally.

After a few more minutes of silence, surprisingly, it was Fugaku who spoke first, "I finished the job interviews today."

Itachi perked up at this. He faced his father and said, "Did you hire someone adequate?"

Sasuke had paused in his chewing to look at his father: Fugaku smirked as he answered, "No."

"Oh? I thought you had already finished the interview?"

"Yes, but I did not hire someone _adequate_. I hired someone _brilliant_."

Itachi grew curious, "Who is he?"

"She, Itachi. The person is a she. I'm quite sure you've heard of her. She's won the IAEC for five consecutive years."

Itachi raised an eyebrow, "Uzumaki Naruko? She even _applied_?"

"So you _have_ heard of her."

Sasuke was now staring at his father. Baffled, he asked him, "Why is she even applying, father? Hasn't The Boeing Corp. recruited her?"

Itachi looked at his younger brother, "I'm surprised you know of her, brother."

Fugaku looked dazed at Sasuke's added information, "She was recruited by Boeing? Really? I haven't read about it in her résumé."

Itachi scoffed, "Naturally. Something like that would seem like bragging."

"Well," Fugaku said as he clasped his hands together, "This is all very exciting."

Itachi nodded, "Very exciting indeed. I can't wait to see her first blueprints. They will be sheer genius, no doubt."

Fugaku laughed heartily, "As do I, Itachi, as do I."

Sasuke grew quiet at this, and he drowned out his mother's excited chatter about the Uzumaki. After a few moments, he looked at his father seriously. Fugaku immediately noticed something amiss with his son and said, "What's wrong, Sasuke?"

Sasuke could sense the tension in the air as he said, "Father… about the… plane manufacturing… do you plan to split the company between Itachi and I?"

Fugaku placed his glass down gently on the table top, "Yes, Sasuke, I do."

"Which… Which part will _I_ inherit?"

"Isn't it obvious? You will inherit the Sharingan Luxury Planes."

Sasuke suddenly stood up, outraged, "Haven't I told you already? I want to take over the Sharingan cars, father!"

"No," Fugaku said calmly, "The Sharingan Automobiles is a dwindling business, son. I'm sorry. Even after all you did, there just have been-"

"Bullshit!"

"Don't you dare use foul language here, Sasuke!"

"The damned business isn't dwindling, father! Not after I won race after race _after race_ in the name of Sharingan! There are contractors, father! People know that the cars are good!"

Fugaku sighed and laced his fingers together.

"Admit it, Otou-sama, you just don't want _me_ to inherit that branch! WHY?!"

"IT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE A FOOL, SASUKE!"

Sasuke stared at his father, wide eyed. Beside him, Itachi was pretending that nothing was happening and was merely drinking his tea calmly.

Fugaku continued, "I know why you want the Sharingan Automobiles… you just want to _race_, don't you?"

Sasuke looked away from his father's livid eyes and stared at his plate, "So what of it?"

"Then I will _never_ give you Sharingan Automobiles, Sasuke. _Itachi_ will inherit it."

Sasuke boiled with rage, "Why?! Why do you keep trying to stop me to race? Why is it that you always, _always_ try to pull me away from what I want to do?!"

"WE DON'T WANT TO LOSE YOU, SASUKE! We don't… we don't…" Mikoto suddenly burst crying. Itachi moved to comfort the distressed matron as Fugaku closed his eyes. Sasuke stared at them with growing futility.

"I just want," Sasuke started, "I just want to race. That's what I've always wanted doing… why can't you understand me?"

This time, Itachi spoke, "Your way of thinking is childish."

Sasuke stood frigidly as Itachi regarded him with his with his usual serenity, "All we ask of you is to stay alive longer here on earth and live a happy, bountiful life. Why, is this wish too much to ask for?"

Itachi wasn't done yet, "When you went to the States and Europe to race, did you know that we would watch the live broadcast from here and watch as your _life_ is placed on the line? Did you know how _scared _we were, Sasuke? None of us could speak a _word_ when the races started, and when each of them finished, and you won… we could only thank _God_ for protecting you."

Itachi stared at his brother with barely concealed emotions, "Sasuke… do you want us to go through that for the rest of your life? Worrying over you, praying, _hoping_ that you'd be all right?"

Sasuke hastily rubbed the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes.

"Sasuke," Itachi said gravely, "_Don't do this to us…_"

The youngest son was speechless. Undaunted by his silence, Itachi continued, "You're being too selfish… foolish little brother."

Sasuke clenched his fist guiltily as his brother's words hit him hard. Itachi was right. He _was_ being too selfish. It was Sasuke who had asked his parents to drop him out of school so that he could race. It was Sasuke who had forced his father to make him a suitable racecar and pay for everything. It was Sasuke who had been rebellious every time Fugaku tried to stop him from entering another race.

He sighed and ran a hand through his midnight black hair.

Fugaku breathed heavily as the sound of his wife's sobs filled void. He sighed before he addressed Sasuke, "Tomorrow, you will meet with Uzumaki-san and talk about the future plans about the design and structure of the Sharingan planes. I have already informed her."

Sasuke clenched his fist and turned away from his huddled family, "Yes, father."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_Uchiha Corp., the following morning, 9:02 am_

The sleek, black Sharingan glided smoothly against the pavement. The Sharingan was designed like a limousine: with a long body and was obviously expensive. The main difference, however, was the distinctive, red three-comma design that was engraved on its every handle and that was meticulously welded at the hood.

The words 'Uchiha Corporation' were reflected against the shiny hood of the limo.

A silver-haired man dressed in a black tux stepped out at the very front and opened the door at the back.

"Sasuke-dono," the driver greeted as he bowed politely, "Please behave today."

The teenager sneered, "Get a life, Kakashi."

"Now, now, Sasuke," another voice chided from behind him, "Don't act like a brat."

Hatake Kakashi smiled his close-eyed smile at Uchiha Itachi, "Oh, but Itachi-dono, he isn't one?"

Sasuke glared, "Whatever. Let's just meet Uzumaki."

"Excited, aren't we?"

"Tch."

Kakashi bowed again as he closed the door of the limo, "I'll fetch you at 5 pm sharp."

The brothers simultaneously rolled their eyes. "Of course you will, Kakashi. Just don't forget to buy us dinner along the road of life, okay?" Itachi stated sardonically. Beside him, Sasuke scoffed, "If a black cat crosses your path, just run it over, will you?"

"You're too cruel, Sasuke-dono."

"Itachi-sama, Uzumaki-san is in the conference room."

Itachi turned to glance at his secretary and nodded.

"Sasuke-kun, let's go."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Hello!**

**This story was written **_**ages**_** ago (last year, maybe). I thought I lost it when my lappie crashed a couple months back, but it turns out I still had it! This story will probably be short (like, it won't go past ten chapters), and plot will be crappy. **

**I never really was good with plots (especially with endings… you gotta hate endings).**

**This story was inspired by a lot of things, including the Korean Drama 'My Lucky Star' and the fanfiction entitled 'The Racer's Mechanic' written by NoNameNeeded, but the driving force that compelled me to finally write it was when I saw an eleven year old boy being interviewed by a local TV personality. This boy already knew how to drive those huge construction thingies (you know, the humungous yellow trucks that are used to haul a large piles of dirt) and has reportedly been driving any type of land vehicle he could get his hands on since he was **_**six**_** years old. I was awed. I was inspired. I was almost thrown with the loonies. **

**Yeah. I was **_**that **_**excitable.**

**Anyway, the incredibly young ages were also inspired by that little boy. Seriously, you should have seen him! He was so small and skinny – not to mention that I am only four years older than he, and I can't drive to save my life – but he was already expertly handling heavy equipment that most adults don't even know squat about.**

**Anyway, please tell me what you think. Criticize constructively, please.**

**Love lots, **

**Driven**


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